Identifying and Addressing Effective Literacy Instruction for English Learners with Special Needs

Identifying and Addressing Effective Literacy Instruction for English Learners with Special Needs

Who am I? Dr. Rodney Fitzgerald Who are you?

Identify best practices and principles for Special Education referrals, assessments and effective literacy instruction of English Learners (ELs)

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Non-English-proficient (NEP) Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) English Language Learners (ELL) or English Learners (EL)

Limited English Proficient Students will constitute 40% of students in public education by 2030 (Thomas and Collier, 2003) 1997-98 to 2008-09 English-language learners enrolled in public schools increased from 3.5 million to 5.3 million, or by 51 percent (National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, 2011)

This belief that young children will be confused by two languages is a myth and is not supported by research. - R. Banerjee & M. Guiberson (2012) Young Exceptional Children, p. 37.

What is lost when children and parents cannot communicate easily with one another? What is lost is no less than the means by which parents socialize their children: When parents are unable to talk to their children, they cannot easily convey to them their values, beliefs, understandings or wisdom about how to cope with experiences. Wong Fillmore, 1991

Children of low social economic background or those whose parents have not had the opportunity to receive formal schooling are those most in danger of lost years of cognitive development due to an early switch to the second language in preschool. Wong Fillmore, 1991

Home and Community Characteristics Parental and community attitudes Degree of parents bilingualism Literacy in the home Use of mixed languages History of Education Quality of Schooling in native country Languages Years in school Interruptions in schooling Quality of education Socio cultural background/acculturation

Language allocation considerations: Basic Interpersonal Communication skills (BICS) & Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) checklists Teacher/Parent/Student interviews Observations by team members

Cumulative records review Academic/educational history Developmental and health history Family/cultural/social history

Why is this important within the ELL context? Give examples of formal assessments Give examples of informal assessments

DIBELS/IDEL STAR (Spanish reading grades 3 to 6) AIMSweb (Spanish reading for grades K to 2) DRA/EDL Fountas & Pinnell NWEA/MAP WIDA: ACCESS/PODER(Spanish Pilot) SUPERA (Spanish) Classroom informal assessments PARCC

José Marisol Rubén Spanish Reading at mid-6 th gr. ACCESS Level 1.5 Spanish Reading at late 3d gr. ACCESS Level 4.0 Spanish Reading at early 3d gr. ACCESS Level 2.5 English Reading at mid-2d gr. English Reading at late 4 th gr. English Reading at late 2d gr.

Data Gathering Tools Oral Language Literacy Math Native Language L1 Other Language L2 Language Use (Interviews, Observations, Etc.)

Is there enough information and other evidence to triangulate the data and move forward?

Collect formal and informal language proficiency assessments in the student s first and second languages. Assessments must consider how two languages interact. They rarely develop at the same rate in students learning a second language.

Demonstrate that the disability is evident in both languages Compare what students know in each language and what students know cumulatively (i.e., across languages) to avoid underestimating student abilities and / or inaccurately interpreting rates of progress and levels of performance (dual language assessment)

Assessment must consider how two languages interact Two languages rarely develop at the same rate in students learning a second language Recognize that standardized assessment tools may not be valid or reliable; conduct assessments in authentic (informal) environments using a variety of formative tools(samuel Ortiz cross battery assessment)

Compare what students know in each language and cumulatively (i.e., across languages) to avoid underestimating student abilities and/or inaccurately interpreting rates of progress and levels of performance (dual language assessment)

Developmental and medical history including parents observations pertaining to student s communication skills in both languages and comparisons to siblings and peers Academic history of student in primary and/or secondary language BICS/CALP observational checklist Second language acquisition chart

IDEA 2004: Assessments must be administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel.

IDEA 2004: Assessments are provided in the child s native language or other mode of communication.

IDEA 2004 Assessments are selected and administered so as not to be discriminatory on a racial or cultural basis.

IDEA 2004: Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child.

Individual w/ Disabilities Education Act IDEA 2004: Recommends the evaluation procedures must be conducted in the language and form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally, unless it is not feasible to so provide or administer.

Specific language weaknesses: Phonemic awareness in both languages History difficulty in spite of research based, high quality reading intervention designed for ELL compared to other, similar English language learners.

IDEIA 300.534 Determination of Eligibility -A Child may not be determined to be eligible under this part if the determinant factor for that eligibility determination is (i) Lack of instruction in reading or math; (ii) Limited English Proficiency

Multidisciplinary Teams Usually consist of all or most of the members of the IEP team For EL a translator may be necessary Multicultural Expert should be present What they need to know Is the problem a disability or is it something else (language, culture, SES, lack of educational opportunity). Know how to interpret basic assessment data. Know how to use that data to implement intervention strategies

Service Providers: ESL or Bilingual Teacher General Education Teacher Special Education Teacher What they need to know: How 2nd languages are acquired How culture impacts learning How SES impacts learning Cultural and linguistic learning styles

Over-identification for special educaiton: Students classified due to language difference (Diana V. California Board of Education) Under-Identification for special education: delay in referring student due to possibility of misclassification

Brigance Assessment of Basic Skills Bracken (Spanish receptive concepts) Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey Woodcock-Johnson III (English achievement) Bateria III Woodcock-Muñoz (Spanish achievement) Play-Based Assessment (Early Learners)

ELL/ Bilingual legal considerations Special Education legal considerations Interface of ELL and special education Common Core WIDA English Language Development Standards (Listening, Speaking, Reading & Writing) WIDA Spanish Language Standards

Autism Deaf-Blindness Deafness Developmental Delay Emotional Disability Hearing Impairment Intellectual Disability Multiple Disabilities Orthopedic Impairment Other Health Impairment Specific Learning Disability Speech and Language Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury Visual Impairment

Definition: IEP means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with IDEA Includes: Statement of child s present levels Academic achievement Functioning performance How disability affects involvement and progress in general education curriculum Ability to take standardized assessments with the rest of the class. If not, alternate benchmarks must be provided

Includes: Statement of measurable, annual goals These goals meet the child s needs toward the purpose of involvement in the general curriculum. Goal must meet each of the educational needs. Description of how to measure progress toward meeting these goals. Description of how to report the data on this progress. Statement of special education, related services, supplementary aids, and services Statement of program modifications provided

Includes: Description of how all educational and extracurricular needs to be met. Description of the the extent and why the child will not be in a general education class Description of any transition services to move from high school to after graduation

Specify language of instruction for each goal. Instructional strategies accounting for L2 acquisition. Curricula and materials used accounting for L2 acquisition. Culturally appropriate motivators. Designate who will provide services, monitor progress, and do annual reviews Designate team member to coordinate efforts from all of the professionals Intervention & language of instruction

Typical Cross Categorical placement for a bilingual student with specific learning disability: Self contained bilingual classroom w/bil. Sp. Ed. Teacher Push in/pull out w/ bilingual Sp. Ed. teacher

6 Recommendations : Key factors of academic language skills 1. Deliver Instruction within a Response to Intervention (RTI) Model 2. Explicit, intensive intervention should be closely matched to student difficulties 3. Early literacy interventions should focus on a combination of skills. (Rivera, Moughamian, Lesaux, Francis Center on Instruction 2009) 44

4. Peer assisted learning is an effective intervention strategy for ELLs identified with a disability in the early grades 5. Instruction for at-risk ELLs and ELLs with language or learning disabilities should build vocabulary and background knowledge 6. Instruction and interventions used with older ELLs who have learning disabilities should use cognitive strategies. (Rivera, Moughamian, Lesaux, Francis / Center on Instruction 2009) 45

Phonemic Awareness Phonics Fluency Vocabulary Text Comprehension 46

Schema Inferring Questioning Visualizing Transform/Synthesizing Determining importance Fix-it up strategies Based on research included in Mosaic of Thought 47

Los Primeros Pasos / (K-1) Conocimiento fonológico (bilingualsolutionsinc.com) SIL Hopscotch (El Sistema de la Intervención de Lectura) (Pacificlearning.com) De canciones a cuentos (K-2) Pasaporte Tejas Lee (Texas Reads)

Estrellita Accelerated Beginning Spanish Reading Program (K-2) Camino a la Lectura (Tier 3 Pearson) Pearsonsuccessnet.com (leveled readers) Big Universe (Spanish)

Heggerty (phonological awareness) Words Their Way (Allyn & Bacon) Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) Reading Mastery K-6 th -McGraw Hill SRA Corrective Reading K-8 - McGraw Hill SR 50

Language 9-12 th Wilson Reading System Wilsonlanguage.com Unique Learning System Big Universe 51

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